Proenza Schouler Revisits Grunge

So many designers have borrowed from the '80s lately, the Schouler guys referenced early '90s grunge instead. Luckily, makeup artist Diane Kendal and hairstylist Didier Malige proved that the age that brought us Nirvana doesn't necessarily have to look well, grungy.

The Look: "This makeup is very wearable, like heightened reality. It's not superglam or overly polished—just cool and easy," Kendal explained. We'll take it. Kendal made the skin look dewy with a M.A.C. cream stick blush in Vivid Pink (soft pink) lightly patted on the cheekbones for just a hint of color, and a little powder on the T-zone. Next she framed the eyes in a sheer, nutmeg wash by blending M.A.C. Cream Colour Base in soft brown along the lids and beneath the lower lashlines. She then used a tiny eyeliner brush to trace a razor-thin line of black cream eyeliner very closely along the top and bottom lashlines, instead of mascara to give the eyes edge. Lips were almost bare: Concealer plus plain lip balm.

The hair sounded light and breezy enough—"It's boyish with a hint of femininity," said Malige. But it took more than a tousle. He started by spritzing Fekkai Coiff Oceanique Tousled Wave Spray throughout dry hair to add texture, then created rumpled waves with a double-barrel curling iron. Next he sprayed the hair all over with Fekkai Coiff Bouffant Lifting and Texturizing Spray Gel to add volume and more texture, then teased it with a comb at the crown and underneath at the neck to create extra oomph. Next he secured it into a low, loose ponytail. Malige then gently tugged the hair at the crown and right above the elastic to loosen the ponytail further and emphasize height. Easy, right?

The Scene: Hungry. It was a 9 P.M. show, so everyone attacked the catering table the second they walked in. Sadly, latecomers missed the mini quiches, so to speak, as handlers were barking and shouting to shoo everyone out from backstage and into their seats so the show could start at a fashionable, almost-on-time 9:15.